(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a pedal apparatus for a vehicle which can prevent a driver from sustaining injuries during a vehicle collision.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Generally, vehicles have a variety of pedals that are required to drive the vehicles. Most of the pedals are manipulated by a driver using his or her feet, and are located on the bottom of the interior of a vehicle so as to be in the proximity of the driver's feet.
When a vehicle collision occurs, a dashboard to which the pedals are fixed is forcedly moved into the interior of a vehicle toward the driver, thereby possibly injuring the driver's ankles.
To prevent a driver from sustaining injuries due to pedals, U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,219 discloses a pedal arrangement including a bellows and a plunger rod that are connected to a brake booster, and when a vehicle is involved in a collision, a brake pedal is reversely rotated by the operation of two links including a swiveling shaft and a transmitting rod coupling the two links through a lever connected to respective rods by the swiveling shaft, thereby preventing a driver's ankles from sustaining injuries. However, such a pedal arrangement has problems in that, because a mechanically complex structure such as the two links including the swiveling shaft and transmitting rod is installed in the interior of a vehicle, the number of parts required is large, and a relatively wide space for mounting and driving the links is required.
Therefore, there is a need for a pedal apparatus for a vehicle in which the structure is simple and, when the vehicle is involved in a collision, the pedal is reversely rotated in a short time, thereby effectively preventing the driver's ankles from sustaining injuries.
The description regarding the related art is provided only for understanding of the background of the invention, so it should not be construed by ordinarily skilled persons in the art to be admitted to the related art.